(By John Meyer) Oh, that Internet, the home of the sweeping generalization. It is hard to find a blog, LinkedIn post, or business article that doesn’t make some definitive and overly generalized statement that claims the rise or fall of something.
But we don’t live in a one-size-fits-all world. Very few things are as rosy or as dire as they are made out to be. TV didn’t kill radio. Cable didn’t put the broadcast networks out of business. I’m not writing this on my phone. In terms of digital media, I have heard and read many of these declarations. Let’s take a look at some and analyze their validity.
Banners Don’t Work
The banner ad has taken a beating since the “Punch the Monkey” banners first appeared on your Geocities page. People do not like banners and find them annoying. People also find radio and TV commercials annoying, but those are still around. Display is still the backbone of the Internet. While there is a glut of horrible execution, there is still value when display is done correctly. It creates and reinforces brand awareness and can drive action. Just like all forms of marketing, a successful display campaign depends on good creative, proper placement, and sufficient frequency.
A Station Needs A Social Media Manager
There are two important questions that need to be answered before making the commitment to hiring a social media manager.
First, what, specifically, are they going to do? This might seem like an easy one to answer. They will manage your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat channels.
I highly recommend that you get very specific when you answer this. How much are you/should you be posting on social media? Do you have enough interaction from your audience to require a full-time person?
Where is the content coming from? Most importantly, if you do have someone dedicated to this, what is the ROI? This leads to the important next question.
What are you not doing in order to hire a social media manager? No one has unlimited resources. What does your social media actually get you in terms of audience or revenue? Is the money better spent on a content person, on-air personality, or salesperson?
The answers to both of these questions will vary from station to station, but, like many things in the digital space, just because you can do something doesn’t always mean it makes sense from an ROI standpoint.
People Will Do Everything On Their Phones
The mobile explosion is a reality, but I think it is often misrepresented. Mobile isn’t a replacement of traditional computers, but an extension of their use through more portable means. Mobile allows people to access the Internet in places where it would be too inconvenient with a desktop or laptop. And there is one place the desktop/laptop is still king: at work. At-work access is still a vital entry point to reach your audience for streaming, news, contests, etc. While you definitely need a mobile strategy, don’t forget about your 9-to-5, gainfully employed audience.
No One Uses Facebook Anymore
If your station is primarily targeting 18-24-year-olds, then you should definitely be active on Instagram and exploring ways to use Snapchat. For everyone else, resources for these tools, as well as other up-and-coming platforms, should be allocated proportionately.
Without a doubt, Instagram is huge. Its use should be related to your marketing strategy. The biggest drawback to Instagram is that it doesn’t have the ability to link back to your site. The importance of this to your station (or your clients) should be what determines how much time and energy is dedicated to it. While Facebook continues to make it challenging to reach your audience without paying, it has a proven track record for driving traffic and interaction.
Podcasting Is The Future
About 15 years ago, I attended a conference where one of the speakers was a “podcaster.” He was talking about the growth and outlook of podcasting. I vividly remember this line: “Podcasting is supposed to be an $80 million industry. Unless we have a $79 million first quarter, I don’t think we are going to make it.”
Podcasting is definitely having a resurgence. The NPRs and Bill Simmonses of the world are investing resources in creating extremely high-quality products. Still, though a lot has changed in 15 years, the challenge is still monetization and metrics. I think these will be worked out, but until they are, I think it is important to temper expectations for short-term ROI.
So what do you do when your general manager or owner declares that 3D printing is getting huge and that you need to find a way to get your station on 3D printers? Take a deep breath. Gather the data. Define what it is that you are trying to do. Examine and present the potential (or lack of) ROI. Most managers are rational, numbersdriven people. If you present the reality in a clear and pragmatic way, you should be able to quickly determine if this a viable path to travel.
Over the last 19 years, John Meyer built WTOP.com into one of the top revenue producing digital properties in all of radio. Under John’s leadership, WTOP.com grew into one of the top local news destinations in Washington, DC with an online audience of over 2.5 million unique users generating over 20 million page views a month. John is now working with other broadcasters and publishers in developing revenue generating and pragmatic digital strategies. John can be reached at [email protected] or 202-276-6808.
My intuitive response to John’s suggestions would be to argue, first, for more “live & local” talent rather than dedicating resources to any digital exercises.
However, the vast majority of on-air folks are untrained, sound functionally illiterate and have little opportunity to shine. This is due to extremely suppressed, corporately-mandated performance limitations and very few occasions allowed to hit the mic.
Given those circumstances, John’s points are well made and well-taken. Reluctantly.